sterndrive - freeplay good or bad ?

[keokie]

Just for confirmation.... The gimbal bearing is separate from the gimbal assembly and has nothing to do with slop in the steering. That is usually a result of a bad gimbal assembly (sometimes, but not USUALLY it is in other parts of the steering linkage).

While slop is common, it is not at all acceptable. Mercury states there should be absolutely no play in the gimbal assembly. Keeping the two bolts on the top of the transom assembly torqued to 55 ft lbs from day one very greatly reduces the wear on the gimbal. Unfortunately, this maintenance item is very often ignored by mechanics. And the symptom is nearly always ignored by surveyors. This has always surprised me.

 

[dgiles]

Hi Folks,

Just thought I should give an update to this thread. After taking the boat to the dealer and discussing the skeg (and a few other items that needed fixing on the new boat), they have finished repairing the skeg to new and charged me absolutely nothing for the repairs along with the other minor fixes I'd pointed out needed addressing. Couldn't be happier as my skeg looks like new again!

Thanks to everyone who posted advice in this thread.

Cheers,
Darren.

 

[JV II]

Did they just bend it? What about paint?

 

[dgiles]

It's perfectly straightened, filed back clean as new and painted with Black Mercruiser paint - you couldn't tell the difference between it now and a new one. I'm highly impressed.

Cheers,
D.